Charles Bannerman

SP.... you seem to be quite an expert on this subject!

.... you can spell (with reference to another thread on this forum) "haemorrhoid" correctly. SP - I have a recollection (of reading rather than remembering directly) that sweetie rationing stopped in around 1954. I think a lot of the other rationing stopped round about then as well. It seems that the era of post war austerity lasted a long time, so possibly the only pleasures at the time involved the procreation of a generation of Baby Boomers!

Once again I find myself obliged to expose the myth that Caley Thistle crowds are still suffering from the aftershocks of the merger. For a start, the number of "refuseniks" when CT started out in 1994 was quite a small proportion of the 600 or so, which was the average combined home gate of Caley and Thistle in their latter spell in the Highland League. Even in these early days of CT, this was no more than a minor disadvantage and a small price to pay for what was created. In the 12 intervening years, a lot of these refuseniks have started coming to games and indeed others will have either left the area or even died off. As a result there are now very few people in and around Inverness who were Caley and Thistle attenders but who still do not come to ICT games on principle. Meanwhile in these 12 years, average HOME support has risen to something in the region of 3000, so really the refuseniks who are still around now represent no more than a drop in the ocean. This never was a major issue at any time and hasn't been one at all for some years.

.... you can remember penny dainties (which filled your gob right up), MacKintosh's lemonade and the Palace Cinema.

You mean Millburn Junior Secondary School? The shark was probably the creation of Doc Williamson.

Gerx13.... thank you for that definitive description of the old La Scala. DJS... the Rose Street Hall! Now there's a significant venue for a no hold barred fight to the death. I think a few of us attended such events in the Rose Street Hall in 93-94!

Sandy.... I'm beginning to wonder if you're right because I now vaguely remember that entrance to the balcony (with its lower flea count) was where the main entrance was latterly - a few yards up Strothers Lane and not on the corner. But I still have a vague recollection of 2 doors on that corner. Can anybody help here?

Wrestling was probably in its heyday in the mid/late 60s with a big weekly slot on World of Sport on ITV. The Empire was indeed the home of live wrestling in Inverness, with frequent visits from the likes of Jackie Pallo, Mick McManus, Steve Logan (the ugly, long haired really dirty one) etc. I don't know where, if anywhere, wrestling went in Inverness after the demise of The Empire but the theatre was certainly still there in 1966-68 and doing wrestling. The script for the wrestling was pretty predictable. Bad guy knocks eleven bells out of good guy with forearm smashes, half nelsons, full nelsons, drop kicks etc and generally breaks the rules for about five minutes. The ref does nothing about the good guy being kicked while he is down, thrown out of the ring, jumped on by the bad guy, posted and generally illegally assaulted. In the course of this, it was mandatory that the good guy should at least once be pinned down for a count of two and a half and floored for as count of nine before either lifting his shoulder or staggering to his feet. By this time the good guy looks half dead but, as the bad guy rushes in for the kill, miraculously manages a body check or a manoeuvre which results in the bad guy smashing into the corner post. After this, there are two scripts available... either the good guy goes on to triumph or the bad guy scrapes a jammy and somewhat illegal win. With tag teams it was even more entertaining! When my son reached the WWF stage of adolescence in the late 90s, I used to take a look at that and think "nothing has substantially changed in 30 years!"

I seem to remember that, before the La Scala was made into a 2 cinema complex (and rendered parasite free!), there were two doors at right angles to each other on the corner. One went out into Academy Street and the other into Strothers Lane. I'm slightly less certain about the Strothers Lane one but absolutely sure about Academy Street.

TBB... my main problem in the classroom is that my pupils never seem to have a sense of humour! However I would have to admit that humour is becoming more and more difficult as one generation gives way to a younger one. For instance when I am discussing "diols" (as in antifreeze), references to telephones are now fruitless. Similarly "I mentioned it once, but I think I got away with it" falls on deaf ears and when I describe my relationship with something as "similar to that between Basil Fawlty and the Eleven Hundred" I get equally blank looks. "Nobody expects a Spansh Inquisition" has equally slid from the public awareness and, amazingly, Skodas these days are regarded as quite respectable motors. Even more alarming is that, from a couple of decades later, "Wayne and Waynetta" and "loadsamoney" have also slipped from the awareness of the current generation, although one or two do remember Jonathan Watson's much more recent "Sean and Seanetta"... with their little daughter Setanta. (Scotty... I fully expect this to be removed as a football thread!)

In the post at the top of this thread, caleyboy wrote..... "I know it must hurt but he and Parky must analise the game....." I have no doubt that if Charlie and Parky literally took Caleyboy's advice, it WOULD hurt!!! (Or did caleyboy really mean "analyse"?!

Less than most people with any luck!

OK Mantis. Sense of humour transplant begun! I really wish Johndo would stop sitting on cameras!

Mantis... I'm not convinced that a colostomy is the ultimate insurance against piles. They are basically varicose veins in the rectum which you can presumably get even if no poo passes, although they may be less likely in these circumstances. IHE and Scarlet.... your respective ghastly picture and graphic description of "the operation" in the 1960s has quite put me off the Tescos breakfast I'm meant to be away to get now. "haemorrhoidectomy".... what a wonderful word for a spelling bee!

"Eenie... meanie" in my day. But nowadays that presumably becomes..... "Eenie meanie miny mo Catch a pigmentally intense person by the toe...."

Kingsmills.... to spotting you on the other side of the street, crossing over to interview you and realising it wasn't you after all..... twenty guineas!

Absolutely Sandy. A very interesting post, in unique conflict with the normal football fan's view that his club doesn't get enough coverage. And there's only one species that's worse than a journalist isn't there ... a teacher/journalist who gets all these holidays as well the the football "perks". I'm actually a bit surprised you've posted it on this forum and not on "Off the Park"... or have you had an attack of the "Grumpy old Man" syndrome? Oh, and by the way... you also seem to be suggesting that indulgent trawling of this site should be declared as a perk to the Revenue. I must remember that when I fill in my return.

Some of these old films Gerx13 mentions ring a vague bell with me. I do remember seeing, perhaps on that Grampian TV programme of old films (the name escapes me for the moment) the BB one and I've also seen one of a sports meeting. In fact an Inter School Sports at The Bught in the 50s comes to mind. In fact, as I write, I'm crystallising memories of having seen a compilation of film snatches of Inverness very similar to the one you describe. I think it was transferred to video. There are a few references in the Royal Academy log book during the 40s and 50s to the acquisition of new audio visual equipment, accompanied by a visit from "Mr. Nairn" to instal it and demonstrate its use. The thought of the spontaneous combustion of cellulose nitrate film is a bit scary! I certainly have no recollection of a restaurant in the La Scala. In fact the thought of one, linked with memories of all the spontaneous scratching you'd do after a visit (not an apocryphal tale either!) quite turns my stomach!

So Juanjo WASN'T the first Spaniard to play for Caley Thistle then?!

MFTJ.... that Jags result in1985 is not one I'd be likely to forget! On the assumption that Thistle had no chance at all, I treated myself to a much needed Saturday off. However I happened to be driving back up Kingsmills Road about 4:55 so I stopped and asked these guys in black and red what the score was. "3-0" was the (goodness knows why) somewhat subdued reply. "Never mind, lads. Next year, maybe." "3-0 THISTLE!!!!" I really regret having missed that one. Question for former Jaggies.... when Thistle went to Celtic Park in the next round, who was their substitute striker? (HINT - the same man came on as sub in a different position in Bruce McCraw's testimonial on Sunday.) By the way, I tend to be a bit of a pain in the a**e when it comes to the minutiae of the merger and apologise if I appear over pedantic. I think this originates from the need during these very delicate days to report things with absolute precision and impartiality!

Thanks Caley D... I hadn't realised that Wikipedia was an open source. As far as I am concerned that means that I will be looking on its contents with a good deal more caution in the future. At best, a lot of Internet sources are of dubious reliability and what you've just said has certainly downgraded this one. As for adding to it, that, unfortunately, requires a degree of technical competence so I'll just give it a miss!

A couple of points here. As far as I recollect, it was in 1985 and not 89-90 that Jags beat Kilmarnock 3-0 at Kingsmills. Also, whilst understanding the need for brevity is describing the merger process, I have some reservations about this statement from Wikipedia"..... "Caledonian decided to apply for membership, as did city rivals Inverness Thistle. The SFL hinted that a joint application might be more successful and the boards of Caley and Thistle decided to merge. This decision was met with widespread opposition by supporters of both sides but an amalgamation went ahead." It's principally the second sentence I take issue with. For a start, even within the necessary constraints of a single sentence, it oversimplifies a rather more complex process. Secondly, and possibly more importantly, it was not the "boards" of the two clubs which made the decision. Neither club had a board since they were both members clubs. It was the Memberships of the two clubs, on the recommendations of their respective committees, which corporately both voted in favour of a merger. I'm also not convinced that either club decided to apply on its own account although it was always a possibility. Caley had had a "letter of intent" lodged with the SFL for some years which wasn't an application since, when it was lodged, no vacancy existed. It was more a standing delcaration of interest in SFL membership. Thistle had just missed out on a previous application during their heyday in the early 70s. But given the extent of their financial decline in the intervening 20 years, I'm not convinced that they could or would have sustained an independent application in 1993. But there's no point in rehashing history. I for one am in no doubt that the outcome which (eventually!) arose was the best one for football in Inverness.

R and B CB.... if you're under about 40 you probably won't remember The Playhouse which, as I think has been said already, burned down in 1972 while showing Le Mans. It was at the end of Hamilton Street, two along from the Station Hotel (Royal Highlander.... nothing is sacred in this place!) in the direction of Markies.... next door to the Pizza restaurant. Apart from being the town's better (best in the days of the Palace) picture house, the cafe upstairs was also renowned for being transformed into Disneyland at Christmas time - the genius of one Jimmy Nairn. Those in their latter 40s and 50s will remember Inverness Royal Academy prize givings being held there. Those of an older Royal Academy vintage will have been at prize giving in the Empire.

Especially for Third Division football!

Michael Rennie was the actor who played Harry Lime in the Third Man TV series. To digress, other TV memories from that era included Maigret (striking the match against the wall and lighting the fag) starring Rupert Davies, Hiram Holliday, Fireball XL5, Robin Hood starring Richard Greene, William Tell starring Conrad Phillips, good old Bilko who is still with us of course, Sunday Night at the London Palladium (I still tell the corny joke to Chemistry classes about the catalyst for hydrogenation of alkenes being Nickel except on Sunday nights when it's Palladium... they haven't got it for years!), Take Your Pick with Michael Miles, Double Your Money with Hughie Green.....which for a different reason makes me think of Jess Yates (The Bishop) in a later era, Tonight with Cliff Michelmore and featuring Fife Robertson, Grampian presenters June Imrie and Jimmy Spankie (who these days would probably be obliged to sign the sex offenders' register), Laramie, Wells Fargo, The Lone Ranger (see William Tell above), Crackerjack (HOORAY!) with Leslie Crowther, Eamonn Andsrews and Peter Glaze (does anyone remember Eamonn Andrews as a boxing commentator), Sportsview with the ancient TV cameras in the days when you used to have all these invalid cars parked round the pitch (apologies to the PC brigade but I can't think of anyhting to call them other than "invalid cars"). Wow! What a digression!